Hobby Progress – Shaltari Tribes

I spent many weeks moving from one hobby project to another, continually inching forward with all fronts but never making a decisive dent in my collections. I’ve changed that tactic in recent weeks, and I’ve decided that I’ll instead focus on one project to the exclusion of all others. Once it is completed, I’ll move on to the next task and follow through with it as well.

I feel that this is the primary reason I’ve had difficulty completing armies over the past few years. When my Chaos Space Marines and Tyranids went through major “growing” pains, I was left adrift in terms of passion for a faction. This void was temporarily filled with Orks in late 4^th edition, but I burned my desire for them when I spent a solid week painting a greenskin horde for tournament play. I’ve recently rekindled this love, but it hasn’t translated into a painted faction just yet.

I decided to begin my completion-oriented projects with the Shaltari Tribes. I’ve spent much of my gaming time for the past three months exploring Dropzone Commander, and since the models are easier and faster to paint than my Warhammer 40,000 factions, I figured they would make a good place to start.

My thought process was to split my army up on a display board into each battle group I normally use at 2,500 points, with the Gates divided as evenly as possible across these groups. I then started working at the top, knocking out my “Court of Elders” battle group over the past week and a half. The plan was to start on a second group this past week, but I took on more writing projects and also stopped to observe Independence Day, so I didn’t pick up a paintbrush until Sunday afternoon. However, I did finish the last of the battle group by knocking out the two Caimans, placing them alongside my Coyote, four Yaris, and an Eden Medium Gate in the completed pile.

I’m not sure where I’m going next in the army, as there are many units that I want to see painted soon. I suppose it makes sense to finish my other two Tarantulas next, just to have the last of that group completed as well. For now, I leave you with some pictures of the freshly painted Caimans, as well as the completed units in their entirety. Comments and criticisms are welcome and appreciated!